The present invention relates to dispensing cartons, and more particularly to cartons for dispensing articles, such as surgical blades, from the front thereof.
Cartons for dispensing articles from the front thereof are well known in the packaging art and are useful for dispensing a wide variety of different articles. Typically, the dispensing carton includes a top wall, a bottom wall, and a laterally spaced apart pair of sidewalls connecting the top wall and the bottom wall. A rear wall connects the sidewalls and the top and bottom walls at the rear. A front wall extends upwardly an appreciable distance from the bottom wall and connects the sidewalls at the front. Typically the dispensing carton is at least originally telescopically disposed within an outer carton, such as an ordinary end-opening carton or a carton with a tear-away front wall. The dispensing carton may be either left within the cuter carton or removed therefrom and used separately.
While the rear end of the dispensing carton is typically shut or closed by the rear wall, the front end is at least partially open so that the uppermost article of a stack of articles disposed therein can be easily slid out from the front of the dispensing carton. In some instances, the entire front of the dispensing carton is originally closed, like the rear end, but then opened--for example, by tearing along perforated lines--in order to reveal an at least partially open front end.
The dispensing carton frequently includes an upwardly and forwardly inclined plane in order to facilitate removal from the carton of the last few articles therein. In the absence of such a shelf, the articles disposed below the top level of the front wall tend to be difficult to remove. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,898,056; 2,785,843; and 3,750,930.
The known dispensing cartons have not proven to be entirely satisfactory. Some of these cartons are not formed simply by erecting the carton from a single blank, but require external pieces in addition to the blank. Other cartons require a rather complex assembly procedure in order to form the assembled carton, including the shelf. In either case, the cost of the carton may be substantially increased due to the extra material required and/or the extra assembly steps required. Indeed, it is not believed possible to manufacture a carton having an inclined shelf therein at the high speeds required for economical manufacture.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a carton which can be easily and economically manufactured at high speeds.
A further object is to provide such a carton which is formed from a unitary, one-piece, integral blank, without requiring any inserts or the like (except for adhesive means).
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a carton which is useful for dispensing surgical blades.